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THEY admit they do a lot of talking when they get together every Wednesday, but nobody could accuse the women of Wangi Library Knitting Group of wasting time.
The prolific women recently celebrated the group's second anniversary.
Their contribution to local charities in that time meant there was plenty to celebrate.
Over the past year, the 27-strong group has knitted 100 woollen beanies each month for international seafarers in port at Newcastle. The beanies are distributed through the Anglican Church's Mission to the Seafarers organisation.
The knitters also provide dozens of blankets each year to the Wrap with Love project, and to Ronald McDonald House.
They even knit covers for foam inserts for the Knitted Knockers project.
"These are used by women who have had mastectomies, and they say that the woollen ones are much softer, lighter and cooler than the others," group founder Chris Langshaw said.
The knitters' latest project is Neural Knitworks, a community art-science collaboration in which participants knit 'neurons' and donate them for the creation of a soft sculptural representation of the healthy brain.
The women won a stack of awards at this year's Morisset Show, and member Jenny Mallaby recently won first prize for her tea cosie in a competition in Victoria.
"The group has really surpassed all of my expectations," Ms Langshaw said.
■ They meet at Wangi Library every Wednesday from 10am to 1pm.